Face covering with separator

ABSTRACT

A face covering includes an upper portion and a lower portion, a separator disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, and a strap coupled to the separator. The separator includes a front portion and a rear portion. The strap pulls the separator toward a face to make a part of the rear portion of the separator contact the face when the face covering is secured over the face.

BACKGROUND

Masks are generally uncomfortable to wear: it causes warm, humid air to circulate in a small enclosed area of the face, leading to increased discomfort with time of wear. People may also experience additional discomfort with air transfers between the nose and mouth, for example, bad breath and humidity from the mouth. Such an increased level of discomfort may discourage people from wearing masks, leading to unsanitary environments and spread of viruses.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present application relate to a face covering with a separator.

In an embodiment, a face covering includes an upper portion and a lower portion, a separator disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, the separator including a front portion and a rear portion, and a strap coupled to the separator. The strap pulls the separator toward a face to make a part of the rear portion of the separator contact the face when the face covering is secured over the face.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a face covering, viewing from the front, and FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of the face covering, viewing from the back, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a top view of a separator and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the separator, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an interior side view of a face covering with a separator on a user according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4A illustrates a perspective view of a face covering, viewing from the front, FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective view of the face covering, viewing from the back, FIG. 4C illustrates a side view of the face covering, when the face covering is folded along a center line that vertically bisects the face covering, and FIG. 4D illustrates a perspective view of the face covering, viewing from the side, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present application relate to a face covering with a separator.

In an embodiment, a face covering includes an upper portion and a lower portion, a separator disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, the separator including a front portion and a rear portion, and a strap coupled to the separator. The strap may not only secure the face covering over a face of a user but also pull the separator toward the face to make a part of the rear portion of the separator contact the face when the face covering is secured over the face, thereby significantly reducing communication of air through the separator between a nose room and a mouth room.

In an embodiment, the face covering further includes two couplers coupling the strap to the face covering and being disposed opposite to each other with respect to a plane, the plane including a center line and vertically bisecting the face covering, a first point being a middle point in a line connecting the couplers. The front portion of the separator is coupled to an inside surface of the face covering along a contact line, a first projected line is obtained by projecting the contact line onto the plane, and a reference line connects the first point and a middle point of the center line. A first angle between the first projected line and the reference line may be in a range from −10° to 10°. A virtual line connects the first point and a middle tip of the separator, and a second angle between the reference line and the virtual line may be in a range from 10° to 30°. These ranges of the first angle and the second angle can ensure sufficient space for nasal breathing while avoiding significant interruptions to mouth breathing.

A detailed description of embodiments is provided below along with accompanying figures. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the claims and encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Although steps of various processes are presented in a given order, embodiments are not necessarily limited to being performed in the listed order. In some embodiments, certain operations may be performed simultaneously, in an order other than the described order, or not performed at all.

Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description. These details are provided to promote a thorough understanding of the scope of this disclosure by way of specific examples, and embodiments may be practiced according to the claims without some of these specific details. Accordingly, the specific embodiments of this disclosure are illustrative, and are not intended to be exclusive or limiting. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to this disclosure has not been described in detail so that the disclosure is not unnecessarily obscured.

FIGS. 1A and 1B each illustrate a face covering (e.g., a face mask) 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of the face mask 100, viewing from the front, and FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of the face mask 100, viewing from the back.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the face mask 100 includes a first portion (e.g., an upper portion) 102, a second portion (e.g., a lower portion) 104, a separator 120, and a strap 106. In an embodiment, the strap 106 is formed as a single strap and includes a first portion (e.g., a right portion) 106-1, a second portion (e.g., a left portion) 106-2, and a third portion (e.g., a middle portion) 106-3. For example, the right portion 106-1 of the strap 106 may be coupled to a right edge of the second portion 104 of the mask 100, the left portion 106-2 of the strap 106 may be coupled to a left edge of the second portion 104 of the mask 100, and the middle portion 106-3 of the strap 106 may be coupled to the separator 120.

FIG. 1B further shows a nose clip 122 disposed on an inside surface of the upper portion 102 of the face mask 100. Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B includes the nose clip 122 disposed on the inside surface of the upper portion 102, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the nose clip 122 may be disposed on an outside surface of the upper portion 102. The nose clip 122 may be made of a bendable material that can conform to a nose shape and hold its position, such as a thin metal strip, however other materials with the above-described characteristics can be used as well. This nose clip 122 may substantially prevent unfiltered air from being transferred in and out of the face mask 100 by sufficiently reducing gaps between the upper portion 102 of the mask 100 and the user's face.

The separator 120 is disposed on the inside surface of the face mask 100 along a contact line 150. For example, the separator 120 may be disposed between the upper portion 102 and the lower portion 104 of the face mask 100. The separator 120 may divide a space between the face mask 100 and the face of the user into a first room (e.g., a nose room 311 in FIG. 3) accommodating the nose of the user and a second room (e.g., a mouth room 313 in FIG. 3) accommodating the mouth of the user. Specifically, the nose room may be formed by the upper portion 102 of the mask 100 and a first surface (e.g., an upper surface) of the separator 120, and the mouth room may be formed by the lower portion 104 of the mask 100 and a second surface (e.g., a lower surface) of the separator 120. The separator 120 functions as a barrier that significantly reduces communication of air between the nose and mouth room once the mask 100 is put on the user's face.

FIGS. 2A and 2B each illustrate a separator 220 suitable for use as the separator 120 shown in FIG. 1B, according to an embodiment. FIG. 2A is a top view of the separator 220 while FIG. 2B is a perspective view. The separator 220 includes a front portion 207 and a rear portion 208. In an embodiment, the front portion 207 of the separator 220 has a shape corresponding to that of a contact line (e.g., the contact line 150 in FIG. 1B) along which the front portion 207 contact the inside surface of a face mask (e.g., the face mask 100 in FIG. 1B). For example, the front portion 207 of the separator 220 may have curved edges with a pointed tip to fit the curved surface of the face mask 100. In an embodiment, the rear portion 208 of the separator 200 has a shape corresponding to a face contour of the user. For example, the rear portion 208 of the separator 200 may have a curved edge to fit the face contours of the user. This separator 220 may have one or more of the following characteristics: sufficiently impermeable to significantly reduce communication of air through the separator 220 between the nose room (e.g., a nose room 311 in FIG. 3) and the mouth room (e.g., a mouth room 313 in FIG. 3); stretchy; and soft. In an embodiment, the separator 220 includes a material suitable for use as a mask layer to significantly reduce communication of air and simplify the process of manufacturing the face mask 100. Thereby decreasing discomfort due to bad breath and humidity from the mouth as well as the manufacturing cost of the face mask 100 including the separator 220. For example, the separator 220 may include one or more of the following materials: polypropylene fabric, cotton, and vinyl fabric. In an embodiment, the separator 220 includes a material that stretches and/or moves relatively easily by the user—for example, polyester, elastane, silicone rubber, plastic, or a combination of these materials. Additionally, instead of the separator 220 having a uniform composition of the same material (or combination of materials), various materials of the separator 220 may be divided into individual specific portions to increase efficiency and comfort. For example, a soft cloth material (e.g., cotton) may be used in the curved rear portion 208 of the separator 220 while using a relatively impermeable material, such as polypropylene fabric, vinyl fabric, and/or silicone rubber in the front portion 207 of the separator 220. This soft cloth material would be more comfortable to have in direct contact with the face compared to when a relatively impermeable material (e.g., polypropylene fabric, vinyl fabric, silicone rubber) directly contacts the face.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a single strap 206 passes through the rear portion 208 of the separator 220. In an embodiment, the strap 206 may be made of a stretchy and/or flexible material (e.g., an elastic string suitable for use as a strap of a face mask) in order to conform to any face shape when a user wears the face mask 100. The left portion 206-2 of the strap 206 may be hooked onto the left ear of the user and the right portion 206-1 of the strap 206 may be hooked onto the right ear of the user, thereby stretching the strap 206 that includes the middle portion 206-3. The stretched middle portion 206-3 of the strap 206 may pull the separator 220 along with it, thereby allowing the rear portion 208 to fit the face contours of the user. Accordingly, the single strap 206 may not only secure the face mask 100 over the face of the user, but also pull the rear portion 208 of the separator 220 toward the user's facial area to make the rear portion 208 have direct contact with the facial area, thereby significantly reducing communication of air through the separator 220 between the nose room and the mouth room.

FIG. 3 shows an interior side view of a face covering (e.g., a face mask) 300 with a separator 320 on a user, illustrating specific parts of the mask 300 working together, according to an embodiment. The face mask 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be suitable for use as the face mask 300 shown in FIG. 3, and the separator 220 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be suitable for use as the separator 320 in FIG. 3.

The user of the mask 300 can position the separator 320, more specifically, the rear portion 308, between the nose and the mouth and hook strap 306 onto the ears. Additionally, the strap 306 may come in different lengths or with adjustable straps (i.e. using sliding clasps) to accommodate any face size so that the separator 320 will fit comfortably on the face without being too tight or loose. As the side portions including a left portion 306-2 and a right portion (not shown) of the strap 306 are pulled to hook onto the ears, the side portions pull the middle portion 306-3 of the strap 306 toward the face. Since the strap 306 loops through the rear portion 308 of the separator 320 to be coupled to the rear portion 308, the pulling motion of the strap 306 causes the separator 320 to move toward the face. When the strap 306 is hooked on the ears, at least a part of the rear portion 308 of the separator 320 may directly contact the face surface. In an embodiment, the length of the contacting part of the rear portion 308 may be equal to or greater than 50% of the entire length of the rear portion 308. When the length of the contacting part of the rear portion 308 is less than 50% of the entire length of the rear portion 308, warm and humid air coming out of the mouth or the nose may not be sufficiently blocked by the separator 320, leading to discomfort of the user in using the mask 300. The flexibility of the separator 320 and elasticity of the strap 306 allows the separator 320 to conform to any face shape. Some of beneficial aspects of a combination of the separator 320 and strap 306 are to significantly reduce the discomfort of having warm, humid air circulating throughout the entire mask 300 as well as make the mask 300 functional for various face shapes.

As seen in the upper portion 302 of the mask 300, a nose clip 322 may be disposed approximately at the center of the nose. The nose clip 322 is bent to fit the nose shape of the user and holds its shape, thereby significantly reducing communication of air between the nose room 311 and outside of the mask 300.

Air coming in and out of the nose may be contained in the nose room 311 and be filtered through the upper portion 302 of the mask 300. Since the separator 320 may be made of one or more relatively impermeable materials and the rear portion 306-3 of the separator 320 may be in direct contact with the face skin, air from the nose may not flow into the mouth room 313. The separator 320 and strap 306 may perform similarly for the mouth; warm air and bad breath coming out of the mouth may not flow into the nose room 311. These divided rooms 311 and 313 allow the user to be able to talk with ease without the discomfort of having warm and unpleasant smelling breath from the mouth flowing into the nose.

The upper and lower portions 302 and 304 of the mask 300 may be made of one or more materials that filter air going in and out of the mask 300. The degree of filtration may differ depending on its specific use. Materials with high filtration rates, such as the pre-existing N95 filter, can be used in high-risk or cautionary environments such as hospitals. Other materials can be used as well (e.g., cloth) depending on the situation and user's preference.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D illustrate each illustrate a face covering (e.g., a face mask) 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4A illustrates a perspective view of the face mask 400, viewing from the front, FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective view of the face mask 400, viewing from the back, FIG. 4C illustrates a side view of the face mask 400, when the face mask 400 is folded along a center line 490 that vertically bisects the face mask 400, and FIG. 4D illustrates a perspective view of the face mask 400, viewing from the side.

The face mask 400 shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D has components similar to those of the face mask 100 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, and thus detailed descriptions on these elements of the face mask 400 similar to those of the face mask 100 may be omitted herein for the interest of brevity. The face mask 400 shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D differs from the face mask 100 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C in that a contact line 450 along which the separator 420 contacts an inside surface of the face mask 400 is located vertically lower than the contact line 150, as will be described with reference to FIGS. 4B and 4D in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 4B, a mask strap 406 includes a first portion (e.g., a right portion) 406-1, a second portion (e.g., a left portion) 406-2, and a third portion (e.g., a middle portion) 406-3, and the first and second portions 406-1 and 406-2 may be coupled at respective edges of the mask 400 through couplers 482 to bring the mask edges close to the user. The middle portion 406-3 of the strap 406 loops through a rear portion 408 of the separator 420 to conform the rear portion 408 of the separation member 420 to the user's face.

Referring to FIGS. 4B, 4C, and 4D, the separator 420 is coupled to an inside surface of the face mask 400 along the contact line 450, such that a front portion 407 of the separtor 420 is angled vertically downward from the rear portion 408 of the separator 420 in contact with the user's face to a point BP of the contact line 450 intersecting with a center line 490 that vertically bisects the face mask 400. This angled position can create a relatively large space in a nose room 411 of the face mask 400 to substantially prevent the separator 420 from having close contact with the nose when breathing. For example, the nose room 411 may be enclosed by an interior surface of the upper portion 402 of the face mask 400, an upper surface of the separor 420, and a portion of the user's face covered by the upper portion 402 of the face mask 400 and the upper surface of the separator 440, and the volume of the nose room 411 shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D may be increased compared to that of the nose room 311 of FIG. 3, thereby improving comfort of nasal breathing.

Referring to FIG. 4C, the space in the nose room 411 may increase as an angle θ₀ between a profile of the front portion 407 of the separator 420 and a virtual line VL increases, the virtual line VL connecting a first point CP and a third point TP at the middle tip of the rear portion 408 of the separator 420. For example, the first point CP may be located at the center of the copuler 482. The space for nasal breathing may not be sufficiently large when the angle θ₀ is excessively small, whereas the separator may be too close to the mouth to significantly interrupt mouth breathing when the angle θ₀ is excessively large. A reference line RF connects the first point CP and a second point MP, the second point MP being a middle point in the center line 490 of the face mask 400. The angle θ₀ may vary with a first angle θ₁ between the contact line 450 and the reference line RF and a second angle θ₂ between the virtual line VL and the reference line RF. For example, as the first angle θ₁ decreases and the second angle θ₂ increses, the angle θ₀ may increase. In an embodiment, the first angle θ₁ may be in a range from −10° to 10°, such that the first angle θ₁ has a negative value when the contact line 450 is below the reference line RF and has a positive value when the contact line 450 is above the reference line RF. In an embodiment, the second angle θ₂ formed between the virtual line VL and the reference line RF may be in a range of 15° to 35°. As a result, the angle θ₀ may be sufficient to ensure the space for nasal breathing while avoiding significant interruptions to mouth breathing.

The first angle θ₁ and the second angle θ₂ are defined in the embodiment of FIG. 4C that is a side view the face mask 400 when the face mask 400 is folded along the center line 490, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. When the face mask 400 is is unfolded to retain its three-dimensional shape as shown in FIG. 4D, rather than being folded along its centerline 490 as shown in FIG. 4C, a new first angle θ_(1N) and new second angle θ_(2N) may be defined as will be described hereinafter. For example, referring to FIG. 4D, a first point FP may be the midpoint between two center points CP of two couplers 482 and the second point MP may be the middle point in the center line 490 of the face mask 400, thereby defining a new reference line NF that connects the first point FP and the second point MP. The new reference line NF may be on a two-dimensional plane PA, the plane PA vertically bisecting the interior of the face mask 400 and including the cetner line 490. In this case, the contact line 450 along the inside surface of the unfolded face mask 400 may be projected onto the plane PA in a direction perpendicular to the plane PA to define a proejcted contact line PL. The first angle θ_(1N) may be formed between the new reference line NF and the projected contact line PL that are on the plane PA. In an embodiment, the first angle θ_(1N) may be in a range from −10° to 10°, such that the first angle θ_(1N) has a negative value when the projected contact line PL is below the reference line NF and has a positive value when the projected contact line PL is above the reference line NF. The plane PA also includes a new virtual line TL between the first point FP and a third point TP at the middle tip of the rear portion 408 of the separator 420. The new second angle θ_(2N) may be formed between the new reference line NF and the new virtual line TL that are on the plane PA. When the face mask 400 is unfolded to conform to the user's face, the third point TP may become slightly lower in height as the rear portion 408 of the separator 420 is pulled towards the user's face, thereby making the new second angle θ_(2N) in FIG. 4D slightly smaller than the second angle θ₂ of FIG. 4C. In an embodiment, the second angle θ_(2N) may be in a ragne from 10° to 30°. As a result, sufficient space for nasal breathing may be ensured while avoiding significant interruptions to mouth breathing. In a face mask (not shown) that is not foldable, angles corresponding to the new first angle θ_(1N) and the new second angle θ_(2N) may be similarly defined as described above with reference to FIG. 4D.

Aspects of the present disclosure have been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments thereof that are proposed as examples. Numerous alternatives, modifications, and variations to the embodiments as set forth herein may be made without departing from the scope of the claims set forth below. Accordingly, embodiments as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A face covering, comprising: an upper portion and a lower portion; a separator disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, the separator including a front portion and a rear portion; and a strap coupled to the separator, the strap pulling the separator toward a face to make a part of the rear portion of the separator contact the face when the face covering is secured over the face.
 2. The face covering of claim 1, wherein a length of the part of the rear portion contacting the face is equal to or greater than 50% of the entire length of the rear portion.
 3. The face covering of claim 1, wherein the part of the rear portion of the separator directly contacts the face.
 4. The face covering of claim 1, wherein the strap is formed of a single string and the string includes a left portion, a middle portion, and a right portion, the middle portion passing through the rear portion of the separator.
 5. The face covering of claim 4, wherein the front portion of the separator includes one or more of polypropylene fabric, vinyl fabric, and silicon rubber.
 6. The face covering of claim 5, wherein the rear portion of the separator includes cotton.
 7. The face covering of claim 1, further comprising: a coupler coupling the strap to the face covering, wherein the front portion of the separator is coupled to an inside surface of the face covering along a contact line, a reference line connecting the coupler and a middle point of a center line that vertically bisects the face covering, a first angle between the contact line and the reference line being in a range from −10° to 10° seen in a side view when the face covering is folded along the center line.
 8. The face covering of claim 7, wherein a virtual line connects the coupler and a middle tip of the separator, a second angle between the reference line and the virtual line being in a range from 15° to 35° seen in the side view when the face covering is folded.
 9. The face covering of claim 1, further comprising: two couplers coupling the strap to the face covering and being disposed opposite to each other with respect to a plane, the plane including a center line and vertically bisecting the face covering, a first point being a middle point in a line connecting the couplers, wherein the front portion of the separator is coupled to an inside surface of the face covering along a contact line, a projected line being obtained by projecting the contact line onto the plane, a reference line connecting the first point and a middle point of the center line, a first angle between the projected line and the reference line being in a range from −10° to 10°.
 10. The face covering of claim 9, wherein a virtual line connects the first point and a middle tip of the separator, a second angle between the reference line and the virtual line being in a range from 10° to 30°.
 11. The face covering of claim 1, wherein the face covering is a face mask. 